Queens of the Stone Age to play benefit show in the Desert

QOTSA and EODM return to their desert roots on Sunday, December 9th for a gig at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, CA. Net proceeds from the show will go to benefit various Coachella Valley charities and organizations including Operation Safe House and Palm Desert High School.

I'm fucking kicking myself in the head for not finding out about this sooner.
Tickets are sold out.

Re: Queens of the Stone Age to play benefit show in the Desert

When ask.com advertises its music download software, the song usually heard on its commercials is the Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard."

When critics cite their favorite rock albums, Queens of the Stone Age often have a CD on their year-end lists.

Josh Homme, who leads Queens of the Stone Age and plays drums and produces Eagles of Death Metal, has ap peared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival more often than anyone except the founder of the Lollapalooza, Festival, Perry Farrell.

But for more than 15 years, he and Eagles of Death Metal co- leader Jesse Hughes didn’t think their music was appropriate for the McCallum Theatre.

The Palm Desert performing arts center bills itself as "your theater," but the city's most popular homegrown musicians developed in that city had to use generators to play amplified music in the middle of nowhere because they weren't considered "appropriate" for legitimate venues.

That all changed last month when the McCallum announced QOTSA and EODM would perform Sunday at the McCallum in a benefit concert for charities Homme and Hughes personally selected, including the foundation of their alma mater, Palm Desert High School. Other charities include the McCallum Theatre Institute, Safe House of the Desert and the Palms-to- Pines Rotary Club, which will distribute the funds according to Homme's direction.

Sunday's show sold out in less than 24 hours, affirming the band's popularity and proving that there is a venue for homegrown rock stars.

Homme and Hughes have added a third band to the bill, Fatso Jetson, led by the man many generally considered to be "the godfather of the generator scene," Mario Lalli Jr.

Homme and Hughes talked about the historic in a recent telephone interview with The Desert Sun. Hughes in Bermuda Dunes and Homme in Los Angeles. It revealed their wit and love of the desert.

The Desert Sun: It feels to me triumphant that you guys are coming back here and doing a gig at the McCallum Theatre. How does it feel to you?

Homme: Oh, I feel on cloud nine, man. I never thought I would ever play there. Ever.

Hughes: I actually felt the same thing, until very recently.

Homme: When I talked to Jesse about this gig and told him the thing behind it, I don't know, how did you feel?

Hughes: It was immediate, man. When you came up with this idea, I was like, "Wow. And I get to be part of this? Yay!" 'Cuz it's our hometown, you know? Our valley is a very special place. To come home under the guise of charity and play a gig like this is, I think it's awe some, man. Finally, the bullies will stop picking on me.

Homme: Well, there are no guarantees for that because we’re not donating to the bully charities.

Hughes: Dude! Oh, no!

Homme: The other thing is, it felt like a great way to kick off our bid for mayor of Palm Springs.

TDS: You're a little late for that. They just had the election.

Homme: We"re going for next (time). We just want to get a jump on it. Never let it be said that the mayoral duo of Jesse and Josh was not prompt.

TDS: So, was there a charity that stimulated this idea or did the idea come first?

Homme: I was looking around for a way to do something in the desert, so it took me a while to find the right charities. Especially with it being the holiday season, it wasn’t a question that this was going to be a show just for money ... Both of us growing up here, there wasn't a lot to do. Now there's a little more and there's more of a help network. So it feels like it's a necessity to make sure it doesn't go back to the way it used to be when we were kids. One other interesting thing is, Jesse and I haven't ever played a show proper in the desert.

Hughes: I’ve got to say, the amount of work Josh has put in to this is pretty amazing. There's a difference between putting on a show for charity and actually trying to find charities and building the infrastructure and ensuring that it goes to a good cause. That was admirable and impressive.

Homme: The McCallum Theatre has been so fantastic be cause it's expensive to put on a show. They've donated all their time and (resources) of the theater to do this. For me, it's a really good moment.

Hughes: The general enthusiasm on all sides to make this happen is touching to say the least. I don’t know if there’s been a rock show at the McCallum since the Go-Gos and the Psychedelic Furs.

TDS: There have been some rock concerts at the McCallum, but I've been hoping they’d book you guys or Kyuss or somebody from this area for years. Now Mitch (Gershenfeld) is thrilled this is happening.

Homme: I didn’t know, be cause of the style of gigs normally there, if it would be OK for the McCallum to do a rock show. The enthusiasm they had for the idea and for giving (funds) to charities was so immediate, I was relieved and honestly it made me proud.

TDS: Would it have been as meaningful doing it at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden?

Homme: No, not to me per sonally. The McCallum has be come sort of a cultural staple. So, it felt like a beautiful infiltration.

Hughes: That's awesome!

Homme: It just feels like coming home.

Hughes: Really, the McCallum! I saw Herbie Hancock there. I saw John Lee Hooker there. That hall has had some greats and that is never lost on me.

Homme: The thing, is we've always had to create that situation ourselves. It's really been outside of the community of the desert.

TDS: That's what I meant when I asked if this feels like a triumph. You guys were never really accepted at proper venues here. You had to do those generator parties. You turned them into a legend and now (the community) is trying to get you back.

Homme: It really is a matter of timing more than anything. It was crucial for us to do that in dependent outside thing so we could do something like this when the time was right.

TDS: And now (it's) nice to see Mario Lalli on the bill after the has sles he went through at Rhythm ’n’ Brews (a now-defunct nightclub in Indio he started to bring the generator bands to the public). There’s been very little support for local bands. Palm Desert was recently considering an ordinance to require licensed uniformed security guards in front of restaurants with live music.

Homme: I think I heard about this. If you talk too pretentious or annoying they can stop you immediately, right?

TDS: Well, ...

Homme: If you talk too loudly about your investment portfolio you can be thrown out?

TDS: I don't think that's the one.

Homme: That's the one Jesse and I are running our campaign on in 2000-whatever.

What: Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal and Fatso Jetson in concert
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: The McCallum Theatre, 73- 000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert
Tickets: SOLD OUT
Information: 340-ARTS or www.mccallumtheatre.com
MORE ONLINE: For more about Homme and Hughes growing up in the Coachella Valley, go to mydesert.com

Originally Posted by SepaGroove

You shouldn't feel uncool for not going to EDC, you should feel uncool because you are uncool.

Re: Queens of the Stone Age to play benefit show in the Desert

I bet there is a good chance QOTSA will be at Coachella this year.

Originally Posted by bmack86

And it's been long established that Chris hates fun.

Originally Posted by Hatinisbad

I took my niece this year and it was her first Coachella. It was so fun to see it through her eyes. She thought it felt like a magical scene from Shreck. The one where all the fairy tale creatures meet for the first time in Shreck's swamp.

Re: Queens of the Stone Age to play benefit show in the Desert

I saw part of their set at Vegoose. They were fuckin great. I heard they are very hit or miss live, but they were great at Vegoose. I however left early to see Iggy and The Stooges. Dear god did they kick ass... Actually, Iggy & The Stooges would be great at Coachella this year too.

Originally Posted by bmack86

And it's been long established that Chris hates fun.

Originally Posted by Hatinisbad

I took my niece this year and it was her first Coachella. It was so fun to see it through her eyes. She thought it felt like a magical scene from Shreck. The one where all the fairy tale creatures meet for the first time in Shreck's swamp.

Re: Queens of the Stone Age to play benefit show in the Desert

iv seen queens 4 times rage, and your right, they are very hit and miss
Iv seen then 1once headlining at a club, they were halfway decent,
Once at Voodoo fest, and they sucked then, and they sucked at Lollapalooza,
but they were amazing opening up for the chili peppers back in 93
I'm sure theyll be pretty sweet if they play coachella this year,
Im halfway tempted to buy some tickets to the 2nd warfield show in san fran
but well see

Re: Queens of the Stone Age to play benefit show in the Desert

Originally Posted by rage patton

I saw part of their set at Vegoose. They were fuckin great. I heard they are very hit or miss live, but they were great at Vegoose. I however left early to see Iggy and The Stooges. Dear god did they kick ass... Actually, Iggy & The Stooges would be great at Coachella this year too.

thats what we did having seen qotsa 5 times or so, so we went and saw iggy be, well iggy canx**

Re: Queens of the Stone Age to play benefit show in the Desert

Originally Posted by shakermaker113

so did anyone go to this?

Yes and it was awesome! 7th time seeing Queens this year and I have to say it was by far one of the best shows. fatso was incredible Eagles were as usual always a great time ( never saw Jesse quite so proud) and then Queens Rocked the house, playing all of my favorites amd sounding amazing! It was a very personal and intimate show. Good Times!